Structural works for Newcastle Building Society’s new city centre home complete

Construction works at Newcastle Building Society’s new flagship location in Newcastle city centre are progressing well, with all key structural elements now complete.

A full-height extension to the rear of the historic building, containing a new staircase, is completed and floor cavities left after the removal of a large central stairwell have been infilled.

Most of the mechanical and engineering works are finished, and partition walls are being installed at the Grainger Street property, which is a prime, six-storey corner unit, formerly occupied by retailer, French Connection.

Silverstone Building Consultancy director, Paul Wharton, is leading the project - which will be handed over this summer.

Arcas Building Solutions is the lead contractor; Architects Group is the architect; M Worldwide is the interior designer; Clark Degnan is carrying out the M&E work; and KLR handled the planning.

With this investment, Newcastle Building Society is returning the building to the people of Newcastle by creating a city hub packed with multi-functional events spaces and community facilities over five floors. Together with office space for colleagues on the upper floors and a welcoming branch space on the ground floor, 8,400 sq ft of prime real estate is being unlocked for the benefit of the wider community in the heart of its home city.

Paul Wharton, director at Silverstone Building Consultancy, said: “This is an ambitious project which will breathe new life into an iconic building, with more than a third of the space being brought back into public use for the first time in decades. The end-result is going to be impressive – this will be a standout flagship location for the whole community to be proud of.”

Stuart Miller, chief commercial officer at Newcastle Building Society, said: “With a hugeprogramme of refurbishment, this historic building will continue to serve Newcastle for generations to come. We hope our new Monument home will be a place for the whole community to connect, with a range of spaces for local groups, charities, civic organisations and our partners.

“Of course, we’ll have a full-service branch on the ground floor generously staffed by our friendly team, giving everyone in the city access to essential face-to-face financial services.

“We’re pleased to be working with Silverstone on the Monument development, and everyone will be welcome when we open the doors later this summer.”

Silverstone Building Consultancy, a firm of chartered building surveyors and project managers with offices in Leeds and Newcastle, has previously managed the restoration of a number of hotels within the Inn Collection Group's portfolio, including the award winning Harrogate Inn in Harrogate.